


Friendly Dragons and Where to Find Them

by Nera_Core



Category: Underfell - Fandom, Undertale
Genre: Dragons, Underfell, my personal take on dragons in undertale, undertale - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-07
Updated: 2017-05-09
Packaged: 2018-09-22 14:47:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9612170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nera_Core/pseuds/Nera_Core
Summary: An Underfell story based on a series of artworks I have previously drawn that explore the idea of dragons in the Undertale universe. This is not based on Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, however, I did draw inspiration from the book and its title :D





	1. Prologue

The snow had been heavily falling from the skies for what seemed like aeons. It brought with it a crisp bitter wind that could chill even a monster with the warmest of clothes to the bones. Unfortunately, for a small skeleton monster such a Papyrus, it had no trouble reaching his delicate bones through the scarce clothing he wore. 

Despite the harsh cold and endless darkness that had filled the cavern, the young monster sat alone in the fields of ice that stretched through the Snowdin forests. Although he did not feel the cold due to his lack of skin and muscle, he still shivered. The Underground was a dark and cruel place, and not only in the midst of the midwinter snows. If the elements did not kill him, there was still the chance of being dusted by his fellow monsters for a measly few points of EXP. 

Papyrus hated the short days of winter when all he had for company were the whispers of the wind, and the creaking of ancient pines, perhaps even more than the freezing nights when the snow would rain from the heavens in relentless torrents. At least in the evenings he had Sans, he wasn’t alone then, unlike during the hours of light when the older brother was out scavenging for food, or the little gold he could gather from performing simple jobs for people. 

There never was a time when Papyrus could remember living what most would deem a ‘normal’ life, he had always been living on a day to day basis, constantly at the mercy of both mother nature and other monsters. Some were kind, such as the rabbit monster who ran the small corner store, who would _accidentally_ toss them the old cinnamon buns on occasion. Others were cruel, and would try to steal what little they had, or would hit them seemingly for no reason, or shout at them and call them petty names. It was a hard life for sure, no one could doubt that, but they survived, one way or another. 

Papyrus snuggled deeper into the large scarf that hung loosely around his neck, entwining his bony fingers with its soft fabric. He screwed his eye sockets closed, wishing the day would progress faster, he hated being alone, despised it. Sans had left only an hour past at most, but already Papyrus was lonely, and he knew he would have to wait; until the shadows the trees cast were long and the dark of the night was slowly creeping in to steal away the light of yet another day. 

The wind picked up again, as though its presence had previously been forgotten, bringing with it another icy chill and more flakes of snow that seemed to simply vanish in the white surrounds the moment they landed on the soft ground. Every small exhale of Papyrus’ breath steamed up the air, looking like tiny clouds – lasting for a few moments – then vanishing once more. 

The soft sound of crunching snow broke the short serene moment. Papyrus’ whole body froze, tense as a sculpture of ice, only his eyes moving, as they cautiously opened to survey the area. The red pinpricks of light that represented his eyes scanned the area, finally landing on what he had at first thought to be a tree. He quickly realised this was no tree, and it was, in fact, a leg. 

He remained motionless, but listened, finally hearing the beast’s heavy breath. On closer inspection, Papyrus could see that what he had earlier mistaken for the bark of a tree was rather the scales of some gargantuan reptile, what he made out as roots; were a set of lengthy talons that dug into the fresh snow creating deep trenches in their wake. 

After a moment, it began to move, almost silently navigating the ice. Papyrus was in awe over how such an immense creature could walk so stealthily, placing each paw so meticulously to minimise sound. He watched each muscle stretch and contract, the way its entire body moved so graciously and calmly, yet while still remaining a formidable sight to behold. 

Eventually, its entire frame was in sight, everything from the tip of its snout to the tip of its tail. The full length of its beige body was lined with the thick scales Papyrus had observed on its legs and looked a little like the chain mail armour he had seen previously on some of the Royal Guards. The beast’s head was adorned by a pair of long horns that protruded directly from the back of its skull and seemed to have a simple curve half way along their length. There were also three distinct spines that jutted from the bottom of its jaw, shrinking in size the further the spine was from the chin. However, perhaps its most curious feature was the set of large wings that appeared not too different to a bat’s, that sat tightly tucked into the reptile’s sides. 

This was unlike any monster Papyrus had ever seen before – it was certainly larger than any he had seen – but it was the distinct animalistic features that truly set it apart. 

The beast spread open its broad maw, displaying its dagger-like teeth for the entire Underground to see as it gave a large yawn. Shortly after it gave a soft shake off its body, seemingly trying to rid its hide of the needles from the trees above that had fallen and become trapped in the minute gaps between each scale.

It turned its head, the slits of its eyes immediately narrowing down on the small skeleton a short way across from its piercing gaze. In hindsight, wearing red clothes had not been the wisest choice when trying to remain unseen. The beast lowered its head down so that it almost touched the snow before tentatively edging slower to the small monster in its sight as though it were trying to make itself appear smaller; less of a threat. 

Papyrus, however, did was not buying into what this creature was trying to sell and hurriedly scrambled to his feet. He did not run, despite the fact he currently shook with fear; Sans had told him once that predators gave chase to that which chose to run. 

It seemed to take an eternity for the monstrous creature to finally reach Papyrus, coming to a halt just short of him. By then he was trembling so hard the faint sound of bones rattling could be heard and he was trying his utmost to fend off the crimson tears that were threatening to spill down his face. However, he was momentarily shaken from his panic when the monster before him began to make a soft sound somewhat akin to the chirping of a bird. 

Its eyes were still heavily focused on his small physique, and the light that reflected up from the snow caused its orange eyes to look as though there were made of living flame, but within them, he saw no trace of malice, only eager interest. Slowly but surely, as with all children, curiosity took the place of fear. 

With slow, gradual movements he reached out a quivering hand, ever so gingerly placing it upon the creature’s snout. To his immense surprise, the reptile either didn’t notice or didn’t mind Papyrus touching it, possibly because of its impervious scaled hide hindering the sensation of touch. Also to his confoundment, was just how much heat the beast was generating – it wasn’t quite burning hot – just hot enough for him to handle without being scathed by its fever. 

Papyrus had been in the cold snow for so many nights and days he had lost count, so the warmth was simply alluring. He placed a second hand on the creature, both of his thumbs beginning to naturally caress its face. This time it drew a reaction from the giant, causing it to let out a deep hum. Papyrus could only grin when he felt its entire snout vibrate with the pleased sound, sending tremors up his own arms. 

There was something else that could be seen in the beast’s eyes; intelligence. This creature knew the young monster was no danger to it, and thus was merely curious about him – a feeling Papyrus was quick to replicate. He wanted to know what this creature was, he wanted a name he could put to it. 

The snow that fell on its vast body seemed to immediately melt from the heat, causing it to have several droplets of water running down, through all the nooks and crannies of its scales before finally dropping onto the blanket of snow below. 

After a while Papyrus cautiously moved to embrace the creature, gently coiling his arms as far as he could reach around its snout, revelling in the feeling of the warmth seeping through his clothes and down to his bones. There was another hum, and this time Papyrus could feel the reverberations throughout nearly his entire body, particularly resonating in his chest. 

A deep exhale, and he was hit by the strong scent of smoke, and the warmth of the creature’s breath. The smell of smoke was somewhat off – smelling not like the smoke of a wood fire – rather more acidic. 

All too soon the face Papyrus was clinging to moved away, prying itself from his grasp and lifting its head. The creature gave another shake before turning away, beginning to stalk back whence it came. By that time more snow had fallen, covering the previous tracks as it undoubtedly would once more after the beast left.

Feeling somewhat happier after the unusual encounter, Papyrus finally managed to muster the courage to use his voice. “Bye,” he called softly, his voice small and still a tad nervous. Apparently despite lacking strength the creature heard, sending him another glance in acknowledgement before continuing its path. 

Papyrus watched the beast leave, watching as it vanished once more into the snow.


	2. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter one of the Friendly Dragons story, hope you all enjoyed :D

The rest of the day progressed slowly as usual. Despite the unusual encounter that morning, Papyrus found himself quickly growing bored. The snow relented its downpour later on in the day, and light was finally able to break through the trees, providing a small amount of warmth. Despite this, the small skeleton’s mood remained frigid. 

There was little to spark interest other than the occasional few birds that would flutter through the treetops, filling the air for a brief moment with the soft sound of song before continuing on their way, leaving the woods once more eerily silent. 

Eventually, after what felt like years in the mind of the young child, it was late afternoon. The small birds that had provided him with fleeting moments of curiosity had finally settled themselves in the trees above, readying themselves to roost for the evening, and the wind had begun to strengthen, telling of the cold night to come. It was then that Papyrus heard a set of footfalls in the snow. 

Unlike that morning, the sound of another monster relieved the skeleton; he knew the only person that would enter the forest in the hours just before dark was his brother. He quickly clambered to his feet, dusting the snow off his legs and clothes before eagerly trotting off through the forest to where he knew Sans would meet him. 

Papyrus knew without a shadow of a doubt that it would be Sans – after all – who else would be dumb enough to walk into the forest? It was the middle of winter, and snow storms were common. No one would want to be trapped in the vast maze of trees that comprised the Snowdin forests when a snow storm hit. 

After a few moments of weaving about various trees, he finally caught sight of his older brother’s black jacket. Many a time Sans had offered to give up the jacket to keep Papyrus just that little bit warmer, but he had been insistent that Sans keep it, he couldn’t have his older brother getting cold after all. 

“Sans!” he called, happily bounding over to the monster in question, practically tackling him in an embrace. 

Sans made a soft ‘oomph’ sound and jerked forward slightly due to the rather aggressively loving hug, but quickly regained his composure, grinning down at the younger skeleton. “Heya bro,” he sighed, gently coiling his arms around Papyrus, “What’ve you been up to today?” he asked as they broke the tender grip on each other. 

The question made Papyrus all the more excited, “I met another monster in the woods today,” he declared proudly. However, Sans was obviously less excited by this new development, his expression darkening significantly. 

“Are you okay? Did they hurt you-” Sans’ voice had become slightly panicked as it always did when he was concerned. There had been previous encounters with other monsters who had been less than kind, and Papyrus knew how guilty it made Sans that he always had to leave him alone to fend for himself on most days. 

Papyrus cut Sans off before he could begin fretting too much, “I’m fine,” he grumbled, fixating the taller skeleton with an unimpressed glare. 

The elder brother grit his sharpened teeth and gave a lengthy sigh, shaking his head, “Papyrus, how many times have I told you not to talk with other monsters when you’re by yourself?” They both knew it had been countless times – it was just difficult for the young monster to stand being on his lonesome for so long – he was bound to start craving interaction sooner or later. 

Papyrus grumbled to himself, crossing his arms over his chest stubbornly, he always hated it when Sans scolded him. “I don’t even think it was a monster,” he mumbled. 

“What do you mean you don’t think it was a monster?” Sans inquired, obviously needing a little more enlightenment on the matter. There were only two types of creatures in the underground; monsters and animals. The creature Papyrus had seen seemed to fit into neither category – it had the body and features of a large beast, yet the obvious intelligence of a monster. Papyrus was determined to find out what it was. 

“It looked like a lizard, a really, really big one- oh and it had these massive wings-” He threw out wide his arms as though trying to replicate the creature’s appearance and size, “And-and it was really warm,” he quickly added, the arms that were once outstretched moving to curl around himself. 

Sans frowned in further confusion, “Are you sure you weren’t dreamin’, Pap?” he asked with a soft chuckle, “There aren’t usually any lizards out here- too cold for ‘em for starters.” 

“No! I wasn’t dreaming, it was real!” he insisted, “It smelt all smoky and its scales were really hard, it was like armour; Are there any monsters like that?” Papyrus inquired hopefully. He knew that Sans had travelled a lot, everywhere from the city in New Home, to the Core in Hotland, and the dark caverns of Waterfall – if anyone knew what this thing was, surely Sans did. 

Sans gave a soft laugh at his enthusiasm, “You sure it wasn’t a dragon?” he smirked, watching as the younger’s expression lit up in awe. 

“What’s a dragon?” he asked excitedly bounding up and down. 

“Well, I once read a book on them. A dragon is a huge reptile, and there are lots of different types; some have two wings and four legs, some have only two legs, and some have none at all, it really depends on which one you want to know about.” Sans seemed to be rather enjoying himself, watching Papyrus’ awed expression only grow. 

Papyrus was quick to respond, “The first one! The dragon had four legs!” he eagerly stated, unable to hold back from giggling excitedly. 

“Oh, a European dragon then?” The older monster asked, “Well, they say most of those dragons could breathe fire-” that elicited an impressed gasp from the younger. Sans continued, “Yeah, and they say that they were almost as powerful as humans – their souls are mostly magic, but they have physical bodies – that makes them a lot stronger than monsters.”

If Papyrus had been sat on a seat, he would have fallen off the edge by then. It must have been a dragon, it was without a shadow of a doubt in his mind. A creature that could breathe fire? That sounded like the stuff of myth and legend but would explain why it had simply radiated with heat. 

“Yep- eventually, for some unknown reason, the humans just turned on the dragons, like they did with us monsters, and one day there were just no dragons left.” 

Papyrus frowned. No dragons left? Surely that was a mistake; he was certain the creature that he had witnessed was a dragon, no other monster could be that large, surely, and the beast had met Sans’ description to the letter. Sure, he had never seen this information first hand, but he had all faith in Sans’ depiction of them. Perhaps some dragons had escaped into the Underground like the monsters had – there were plenty of unexplored cave systems and caverns – who knew what might be lurking in their depths?

“Yes. It must have been a dragon,” he declared, his voice steadfast in its tone of finality. 

He saw Sans’ signature grin falter for the briefest or moments, but he managed to promptly recover, all be it with a slight look of apprehension on his face, “I’m pretty sure if there was a dragon here we would have seen it before, or at least someone would have.”

A strong gust of wind howled through the trees, sending a spray of fresh snow in the direction of the skeleton monsters, once more making promise to a harsh and bitter evening ahead. It served well to snap them both from the idle conversation. Sans brushed the rouge ice particles from his coat before offering a bony hand to the younger monster, “C’mon let’s get out of here,” he called, seeming to finally take into account how much darkness has crept in during the few short minutes they had been talking. 

Papyrus reached out and eagerly grasped his brother's hand before the two of them began trudging through the deep snow. Being so short made it hard to navigate the snow at the best of times, let along just after fresh snow, so it was always useful to have a good hand to hold and help him through some of the deeper sections. Due to the fact there was so little foot traffic in the centre of the forest it made the snow far less compacted and easier to sink into, in turn making it far more difficult to walk through, especially at a swift pace. 

The cavern had grown well and truly dark before they reached what might only just pass for shelter, much less a home. It was a shallow cave that only just managed to protect them from direct wind and the occasional snow. Unpleasant as it was to sleep in a cold cave, it left them unbothered by other monsters that would otherwise do them harm, and they had managed to make it as ‘homely’ as possible given their current situation. 

Living on the streets of a city would leave them at the mercy of other monsters – The humidity of Waterfall caused food to expire far faster than anywhere else – and the Hotlands held nothing but bad memories for the older skeleton. The two were barely bothered by the extreme frigid environment of Snowdin, and the forest gave them unlimited places to flee from less than kind monsters; it was by far the best place to be. 

The temperature of the forest had dropped dramatically, and Papyrus’ shoes had been soaked through, along with numerous parts of his clothing. In short, the small monster was cold, wet, hungry, and exhausted. The moment the brothers were out of the snow Papyrus trotted over to the makeshift bed the two shared. The mattress was old and there were several springs out of place, but it was far kinder than the rocky floor on their sensitive bones. 

Papyrus quickly stripped off his sodden clothing, quickly replacing them with a dry pair. Once done, he perched himself on the end of the bed, pulling a large tattered blanket around himself and happily snuggling into it. 

Soon enough, Sans joined Papyrus in sitting on the old mattress. They both sat in silence for a while, each enjoying the other’s company until the sound of a ravenous non-existent stomach made its presence known. Papyrus hadn’t eaten anything substantial since the evening before and was starved. 

Seeming to take note of it, Sans reached inside his hoodie, retrieving a small paper bag. He pulled open the crumpled-up bag and produced a practically untouched burger. Papyrus wondered why in the Underground someone would discard a perfectly good burger, sure, he wasn’t exactly fond of the nasty greasy food – presumably sourced from a trash can behind the bar in Snowdin town – yet he couldn’t see anything actually wrong with it. He had learnt that some monsters did, in fact, throw out any food that didn’t quite meet their standards, which was rather odd, to say the least. It was perfectly good food, so why get rid of it?

Papyrus, however, was not complaining. Although his dinner had probably spent a short while in a bin, it was still safely inside a takeaway bag of sorts, and still smelt fresh. 

Sans pulled out a smaller paper bag filled with chips and began happily chewing away at them, obviously taking them as his share of the meal. Papyrus was always worried that Sans generally ate less than himself, but knew better to argue – it would do no good against the stubborn skeleton. 

They both swiftly polished off their meals. Papyrus still felt a lingering hunger, his stomach was still eager for more, but alas that was all that had been on offer. He crawled across the bed, repositioning himself in the correct position for sleep, curling deeper into his blanket with a semi-content sigh. It wasn’t long before Sans too led down, moving about until he was led on his side, directly facing Papyrus. 

They once more remained in silence, Sans seemingly slowly drifting off to sleep. Papyrus moved closer to Sans, wrapping his short arms around the bigger monster and nuzzling into his ribcage. A few moments later he felt Sans wrap his own arms around him, the older skeleton resting his head on top of the younger’s. Papyrus used a hand to awkwardly toss half of the blanket over Sans before once more settling himself into the other’s embrace. 

Moments later he could feel himself drifting off, and it wasn’t long before he had fallen into a peaceful rest, having pleasant dreams of winged lizards.


	3. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter of the story, hope you all enjoy :D

The following morning the two skeletons woke early. Light had only just broken through the trees and there was still a small remainder of snow leisurely drifting down from the cavern roof. There had indeed been a snowstorm the evening prior, but the cave was deep enough that the brothers had escaped the brunt of it. 

The cave’s mouth was piled high with snow, but it only took a few well-aimed blasts with an appropriately named ‘Gaster Blaster’ for Sans to clear most of the exit. The heat of the raw magic had caused most of the snow to melt leaving only some puddles of water that would most likely freeze over later that day after it had cooled. 

After the two both ate their fill of a small breakfast they headed out, Sans decked out in his usual attire and heavy jacket, and Papyrus with a fresh black and red shirt and typical red scarf. Just like every other day, Sans dropped off Papyrus in his usual spot to wait out the day. 

Papyrus reluctantly hugged his brother and bid him farewell, not looking forward to another day of twiddling his thumbs, sitting in wait for the day to end. “Don’t worry Paps” Sans began, dusting off some snow that had fallen onto his shoulder, “I’ll be back soon, I reckon there’s another storm brewin’.” And with that Papyrus was left with nothing but the woods for company. 

There was something highly ominous about the quiet that always met Papyrus when he was alone, every sound seemed to be amplified due to the sheer lack of competing noise. Every creak of a branch, every flutter of a bird, every gust of wind, it felt as though they were all deafeningly loud. That was why the sound of snow crunching underfoot was very distinct and the small skeleton noticed it immediately. 

Papyrus, who had long since slipped down into a seated position, his back to a tree, clambered to his feet, glancing around for the source of the sound. His eyes landed on a small group of monsters steadily trudging their way through the snow. The fresh snow was slowing their approach, but soon enough they would be able to see the young monster and Papyrus was forced to act before they did so. 

He couldn’t allow himself to be seen, not when he was all alone and so greatly outnumbered. In the brief glance he had sent in the other monsters’ direction, he had counted at least four; a large canine, two rabbits and what had looked like a Snow Drake. Papyrus, while he had a great mastery of magic for his age, would stand no chance against such odds and so his only option was to flee. 

He moved around so that he was stood behind the large pine tree he had been previously leaning on out of the line of sight. He managed to slowly slip away unseen by the other monsters, cautiously moving through the icy maze of trees and away from the large approaching group. 

Although it was almost the middle of the day, the forest was still largely obscured by darkness, and the deeper into the woodland Papyrus ran the larger and denser the trees became. They creaked threateningly as they swayed in the howling wind, and were so large that they nearly blocked out all light, casting the forest into an almost void-like blackness. 

The sounds that had been only slightly unnerving before had suddenly become utter terror inducing as Papyrus’ body pumped with adrenaline. Each snap of a branch, every crunch of snow, and any sound of a creature other than himself – they all startled the small monster, his small non-existent heart skipping a beat at each noise. 

He ran and ran until his legs – tired from rushing through the deep snow – had given up and Papyrus found himself falling face first onto the ground, effectively covering himself in the minute icy particles. The skeleton was panting heavily, despite having no lungs to fill. He glanced around at the unfamiliar towering trees but saw no pursuers. 

Papyrus nervously rolled over onto his back before pushing himself up into a seated position. His eyes continued to dart around but could settle on nothing he recognised, only helping to further the feeling of dread that was beginning to creep into his bones. Slowly he pulled himself to his feet, despite the pained protests of his legs and began to cautiously walk around. 

Papyrus had never been this deep into the forest with Sans before, let alone by himself. There were far fewer creatures in the darker reaches of the forest as nothing living, save for the tree’s branches stirred at his presence. 

Within minutes of being in the depths of the woodland, Papyrus could already see his breath fogging up the air and gave an involuntary shiver, coiling his arms around his small body before anxiously heading back the way he had come. 

He had covered a significant distance in a fairly short amount of time, despite how hard it had been to trek through the snow. He was almost certain that the monsters hadn’t seen him, and if they had would have given up the hunt by then. Fortunately, Papyrus could still see the outline of his tracks through the snow and so it wasn’t too much of a strain to follow them back. 

In only a short while it had grown substantially darker, despite the fact Papyrus had moved away from the denser wood and into a sparser area, and the wind had picked up significantly. The whistling breeze had brought with it snowflakes that promptly began to settle over the small skeleton’s tracks and gradually making them harder and harder to discern from the surrounding imperfections of the ground and snow. Papyrus picked up his pace, but so too did the wind, growing more forceful with every gust. There was a storm coming. 

Papyrus continued to try and follow his footsteps, but the harsh wind had scattered the snow that had been on the ground and all but destroyed all remnants of his previous route. In his panic the young monster began to run again, trying desperately to find something, anything that was familiar, that could show him the way home. Unfortunately, all the trees had begun to look the same, and Papyrus’ frightened mindset was not helping him focus. 

Eventually, he settled on a direction and simply ran, desperately fighting through the wall of freezing white that had seemingly descended out of nowhere. He was hoping that if he ran far enough he would eventually find something recognisable. 

It had become almost impossible to see through the heavy downpour of snow, and Papyrus realised there was no chance of him finding the way back and he was simply exhausting himself further by running in circles. He grasped the nearest tree, shifting himself so that he was pressed against it and somewhat shielded from the storm. The wind was deafeningly loud and was causing branches to sway violently, but there was nowhere else Papyrus could go to seek shelter. 

He nestled his skull deeper into his scarf and pulled his legs closer to his chest, wrapping his arms around them to try and preserve as much warmth as possible. Although skeletons had no sensation of cold, their souls did and with no body to protect them from the elements, it was very easy for a skeleton to freeze to death if they weren’t careful. 

Papyrus couldn’t help the soft whimpering noises he made that were drowned out by the sound of the ferocious winds. He was scared. He wanted to go home. He wanted his brother. He wanted someone, anyone to help him. 

And someone came. 

Through the harsh, freezing torrents of snow, there was suddenly something warm, perhaps even hot. Its very breath seeming to melt all the snow still falling from the air and its fiery eyes were a stark contrast to the white that seemed to be plaguing Papyrus’ vision. A familiar humming noise could be heard just above the snow as the creature observed the small skeleton closely. 

It tilted its head to the side as if confused by something, before abruptly dropping down into the snow, laying on all fours. It cautiously crawled closer, head low to the ground, again looking as though it wanted to appear small and non-threatening as it edged over. 

Once close enough, the dragon, as it was now known, shifted to that its body was sufficiently curled around Papyrus in an almost protective manner. It spread out one of its wings across its body, creating a tent of sorts, and with a single sweep of its tail, there was scarce any of the snow left on the ground. 

The sound of the storm continued to thunder on around them, but the dragon seemed to pay it no mind. Eventually, it leant its head down, breathing calmly while watching the small monster in mild interest. It began to hum again, filling the large enclosed space with warmth from its nostrils. 

Papyrus couldn’t help shifting a little closer. Then a little more. And a bit more. Until eventually he was within touching distance of the large creature. Just as with the last time it seemed to know he was no danger and so allowed him to gently rest a hand upon its snout. The young skeleton revelled in the warmth that was emitting from its body and shuffled over so that he was pressed against the side of its snout. 

The dragon hummed again, content with his closeness, slowly lowering the wing it had previously held suspended so that it could wrap closer around them and preserve their heat. 

Gradually, the minimal light that had been surrounding them dimmed, signalling that the day was drawing to a close. However, the storm had yet to relent, continuing to dowse the two in snow and the occasional chunk of hail and it was obvious that they weren’t going anywhere until it had passed. Papyrus was worried about his brother, or more so how badly his brother would be worrying about him and hoped he wouldn’t do anything rash. 

Papyrus slowly sunk down until all of his weight was pressed against the dragon. He yawned tiredly, despite the evening still being young - the rhythmic breathing of the creature beneath him beginning to lull him even further towards sleep. 

He began haphazardly tracing circles around the dragon’s scales, taking in the surprisingly smooth texture that was calming against his bones. 

The dragon appeared to be in a deep slumber, its eyes closed and breathing calm, completely ignoring the monster toying with the surface of its scales. Occasionally its tail would twitch from side to side or it would shift in its sleep, but the dragon remained otherwise motionless. 

If Papyrus hadn’t been tired before, he certainly was once he felt the exhaustion of the day fully catch up to him. His legs ached from all the running in the frosty conditions outside, and he was hungry after having skipped dinner. But he made to with what he had, settling himself down so that he was nestled in the crook of the dragon’s neck, and pulling his scarf closer. 

“Good night, Dragon” he mumbled softly before slowly drifting off to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> I've been away from writing for several months now, and I think I'm finally breaking from my Writer's Block. This isn't my best work, though it will get better once I'm back into the swing of writing. Hope you all enjoyed the prologue :D


End file.
